I have set the prompt on my machine using the following code:
set prompt = " %B%{\033[34m%}`hostname`: %c %D/%w %p :) %b" It outputs my preferred customized display . It looks like :
However when I issue a echo $prompt command, it returns missing ]. I belive I did properly refer to the Customization Manual .
You've run into one of tcsh's parsing quirks. From the tcsh manual:
Variable substitution Unless enclosed in ' " ' or given the ':q' modifier the results of variable substitution may eventually be command and filename substituted.
You have a variable that expands to something syntactically incorrect for filename substitution. You can prevent that substitution by typing echo "$prompt" or echo $prompt:q .
Example:
% set prompt = " %B%{\033[34m%}`hostname`: %c %D/%w %p :) %b" host.example.com: ~ 12/Dec 9:46:12am :) echo $prompt:q | cat -v %B%{^[[34m%}host.example.com: %c %D/%w %p :) %b echo "$prompt" and echo $prompt:q does give me half answer. it returns the evaluated value of hostname and also color. cat -v if you want the \033 character not to show up literally in the output; I've added that to the answer. The hostname command is evaluated and substituted (by command substitution) when the set command is executed; after that, the characters `hostname` do not exist in the prompt variable. You can put %M in the prompt variable if you want the current hostname to be retrieved and printed every time a prompt is printed.